CHPT 372: Wreak Havoc, Weave Life...

In response to Frosty's Prey Drive pulling him into a hunt through the woodlands, the forest had been transformed into an obstacle course in a flash.

A game of chase, in pursuit of a target that could not be seen. Only smelled, felt and heard. Claude and Ursula followed those very senses like moths in their endless attraction to a fleeting flame. They never left him, leaping and bounding through destroyed foliage and bushes torn from the earth by the VanaWarg's heavy duty tusks. The path he smashed into the snowy green expanse made it look like a wrecking ball was thrown through the forest by an angered titan.

Claude's guilt gripped his heart firmly as he followed behind. He could feel it all. Frosty's urge to hunt-- to eliminate the hunger. But most importantly, he could feel the fear and confusion. Much like his own when he'd woken up as a Lupine.

But it wasn't for no reason. His thirst for power wasn't for no reason. That's what kept him moving.

And that's what led them to an eventual stop in the middle of a clearing circled by tree's and rushing rivers.

Frosty's huge paw prints tore through the grass and showed the dirt beneath to the Moon above. Leading straight to the end of the clearing where a Buck was running on it's last semblances of adrenaline fueled stamina.

Frosty's deep-sinking paw prints followed the creature like an unseen omen of death.

That was until he was seen.

SLCK!

Something swiped through the air, completely ripping off a chunk of the Bucks hindquarters and forcing it to spin and face it's target with a swing of it's regal antlers.

CLANK!

The Buck's natural weaponry clashed hard with the unseen force, creating sparks in the darkness that shed light on Frosty as his veil of invisibility disappeared in a burst of blue energy, leaving the VanaWarg standing against the Buck with his left incisor/tusk intertwined with the Bucks antler.

The positioning was awkward, but Frosty used his weight to hold the six foot tall horned creatures head down. The two strained, pushing and pulling in a series of growls, screeches and bony cracks until the Buck pushed itself to it's hind legs.

Frosty rose with it, no longer held by a undeniably wolven shaped body. He stood on his hind legs just fine. The true surprise came when he surged forward, letting his left arm wrap around the Bucks head in an all too human manner before turning and pushing against the creature from the side to flip it over.

"..Does he have it in a headlock?" Ursula whispered in disbelief.

Claude answered but she failed to hear due to the two slamming into a nearby tree where Frosty let his weight push the Buck to the floor, grinding it's hide brutally against the healthy bark.

They wrestled on the ground with Frosty excelling, using the mobility of his arms and legs to pull off holds and chokes, giving him free reign to bite and tear at the buck with his tusked fangs....which Claude didn't think was practical until he saw how wide Frosty's jaws opened for each bite.

After a few seconds of madness, the Bucks blood leaked all over Frosty from the dozens of gaping holes in it's shoulders, head and snout.

There wasn't much life left in the creature when Frosty gained top mount, using his right paw to hold down the Buck while he loaded the arm of the other back before slamming it into the creatures skull to create an explosive crushing impact.

The action was so unlike an animal that he'd almost failed to recognize the simple maneuver.

"[A palm strike....paw strike?]"

Frosty didn't waste any time and began eating the Buck in literal chunks. Bone, fur and all. Each bite, opened his jaws to unreal and almost comical levels. Like a yawning hippo, only to close down on his brutalized meal with a violent crunch. It's muscles shivered and shook beneath its fur as if it's body was radiating with enjoyment from the meal.

Claude tried to ignore the scent of blood as he moved forward, approaching his brother silently in the midst of his meal. A meal that was basically already gone. A record among their pack without a doubt.

After a series of silent steps where he'd seemed just as invisible as his brother once was, his presence had finally been recognized.

Frosty let out a low warning growl that slowly ended in a whine. A complex series of emotions-- all vocalized in seconds.

"I know.....I'm sorry." Claude whispered as he edged closer, crouching to make himself smaller and less imposing.

Even so, after his final step through the grass, Frosty slammed a paw across the buck carcass and snapped his jaws at the ground in Claude's direction, muzzle twisted into a muscly mask of intimidation and feral fury.

"Easy...." He said, now rested on one knee. Frosty now standing at four feet tall easily. He looked like a giant. The sight of the two reminded him of how he spoke with Fenrir. He didn't enjoy that thought in the slightest.

That thought also seemed to be one Frosty took advantage of, lunging at him wildly in an attempt to keep his meal from being stolen. The only warning of Frosty's advance came in the sound of Ursula's voice.

"Watch out!"

The next moment, Claude was still sitting with one knee pressed into the cold grass. Only dirt and torn up earth trailed ahead of him from where he'd been pushed.

His right arm strained, slowly transforming as his hand gripped Frosty's tusk aimed at his face. It would've reached him if not for his Malevolence Tether wrapping his neck and holding him at arms length.

Frosty growled and shook, threatening to flip him with his newfound overwhelming strength. Strength that would've overcome him if not for the roots, wood and vines from the grass that wrapped his legs in support. He was getting better with his Element.....fortunately.

Claude let the change take him in their shared moments, feeding on Frosty's rage that diluted and strained their link.

As his muscles bubbled to life and his skin hardened, he could feel himself struggling less against Frosty until he could pull Frosty's tusk and force him to meet his eyes.

"Stop it." Claude said in mind and body, feeling their connection hone into correctness.

Their eyes flared, matching in the shade of their mixed mana to create an eerie cyan glow. Symbolizing connection.

He could feel their link repairing, allowing him to try and send soothing emotions and calming thoughts to the VanaWarg in a way his words couldn't.

Slowly, Frosty's eyes retained their familiarity. The frosted fur along his back lowered and his muscles unknitted themselves from beneath his skin.

"Welcome back, bonehead." Claude said as they connected heads.

Frosty snorted and lightly bit his cheek, causing his tusk to comb through his hair in all it's terrifying blade-like sharpness.

He ignored it, knowing Frosty would never truly hurt him. Even if he had just tried to swallow his head....in theory.

Instead, he focused on the injuries. Frosty had absolutely dominated the Buck.....one of the largest he'd seen. Even so, it's antlers cut up his arms and face. He could smell the two differing types of blood soaking the VanaWargs fur. It saddened him, but he could do something. He could lessen Frosty's pain and his guilt. He could heal.

FWWSHH!

His hand that had fallen to rest in the grass where his Ancient Markings soaked up Nature's pure energies exploded in a burst of green arcs and fiery torrents. Expelling healing energies to everything in a ten food radius.

With his eyes closed and connected to Frosty, he watched his brother heal through his Natural Vision.

The green cracks and fissures that lined the dark outline of his body glimmered brighter in response to his actions, also showing the faintest red glow of small cracks in each...like small strands of hair.

The green fissures lengthened and widened, branching out to create new strokes and lines as if they'd burst. Only they never did. The glow simply died down, undeniably brighter than before and greater in number.

When he opened his eyes, Frosty sat in front of him, jaws open and long pink tongue flailing over his left tusk. His fur held a more vibrant sheen than before as he raised his paw to shake, causing dozens of muscle strands to bunch and ripple in his ape-like forearms and shoulders.

"You're still you....good." Claude said before shaking his hand and rising to his feet.

"Is he back?" Ursula yelled in the distance.

"See for yourself." Claude said, nearly failing to finish the sentence as Frosty burst past him to get to Ursula.

Claude was prepared to turn and join them on their walk back to Rollan's when he'd heard the rustling and grinding of wood and bushes emanating from the tree ahead of him. The light green glow of energy flowing from the backside of the oak tree cast deeper shadows on the rest of the forest that seemingly failed to touch the Druid as he stepped out into the open.

Claude no longer even thought to consider whether the Druid had just walked out of a tree or not.....or how he'd gotten ahead of them.

"You're quite the talent, Beast of Beasts...." Rollan said, stepping out of the forest and into the clearing calmly.

"What do you mean?"

"You....ehh work well with the wild. Nature likes your touch, no? Most Druids cannot send their Ancient Healing Waves so far...so soon..."

"Ah well....I had motivation." Claude replied flatly.

Rollan leaned in on his sword/cane and looked at him, "You also had a chance to witness, hm? You saw how you healed your Wolf..."

A shiver scuttled up Claude's spine like a spider on the hunt. Sometimes he wondered if Rollan shared Ursula's overpowered ability to look through his forehead and peer directly into his brain.

"You know how you heal now, don't you Monsieur? You understand the basis of Nature, no?"

Claude stayed silent.

"Tell me, Monsieur. What does it mean? What did you see when you healed your wolf?"

"...Life."